October 2000 Newsletter - Naval Postgraduate School

PROJECT NOTES
NPS TEAMS WITH TRAC ON ACQUISITION CENTRALL
The TRADOC Analysis Center–Monterey (TRAC-MTRY)
recently teamed with Assistant Professor Keith Snider of the
Systems Management Department in the design, development,
and operation of a virtual research and lessons learned
capability known as the Acquisition Center for Research and
Lessons Learned (Acquisition CENTRALL). The Acquisition
CENTRALL virtual center is an internet-
based system. Utilizing the capabilities and
modern technology associated with the
Internet, Acquisition CENTRALL will be a
central repository of information to facilitate
learning among members of the acquisition
community. It links the knowledge resources
of the acquisition professionals with
the research resources of those who study
acquisition.
Through Acquisition CENTRALL,
acquisition practitioners submit lessons
learned, good ideas and challenging issues
that need further study for resolution.
These submissions reside in the Acquisition
CENTRALL database, which will enable
several benefits to be achieved. First, as the
number of submissions grows, this database
will represent a catalog of “high-payoff” targets that will focus
acquisition research efforts. Second, the database will facilitate
knowledge sharing by providing a way for acquisition
professionals to disseminate their lessons, ideas and issues to
other practitioners. Third, users who are reviewing a lesson,
idea or issue in the database can provide comments or
responses, which allows for productive dialogue and discussion
within the acquisition community. Acquisition
CENTRALL also serves as an on-line repository for products
such as research papers, student theses and other study project
results. Readers of these products may provide comments or
responses that become addenda to the products.
Organization of the Acquisition Web Portal is a three-tiered
model. The first tier is the user interface. A user may log on
to the site, access database files through an intranet, review
lessons learned and research, submit comments to lessons
learned and research or submit their own lessons learned or
research files. The second tier is the web server that allows
numerous users to access the same data, at the same time,
from anywhere in the world. Finally, the third tier is a
Microsoft Access 97 database for storing site end user information.
Until now, the acquisition community lacked tools, processes
and procedures for capturing and disseminating
“lessons learned.” Because so few “lessons learned” have been
recorded or stored in a central location, it is difficult to assess
the extent to which lessons should have been applied in
various situations. Additionally, in the current defense
acquisition community, practitio-
ners have few opportunities,
resources and incentive to reflect
upon, assess and report their
experiences.
Benefactors include both policy
makers and warfighters. It is
envisioned that, as the database of
submissions grows, policy-makers
will gain greater insights into the
nature of significant acquisition
issues. Of course, policy-makers
will also have opportunities to make
submissions to Acquisition
CENTRALL. Further, warfighters
will have the same opportunity.
Acquisition CENTRALL represents
a potential key resource for enhancing
dialogue and a common understanding of issues between
the acquisition and operational communities.
The secondary focus of this work is the displaying of theses
by acquisition students, specifically from the Naval Postgraduate
School. Several theses from NPS students have already
been identified by Dr. Snider as excellent submissions to the
database, and more are currently being reviewed. Posting
theses research to the web-site gives visibility to the research
already conducted by previous students. For current acquisition
students, the web portal serves as a source for possible
thesis topics identified by the acquisition community. Additionally,
it can provide resources for several courses (e.g.,
MN3221, MN3222, MN3331, MN4307). To the extent
that NPS researchers can address critical issues and challenges
identified by policy-makers and practitioners, Acquisition
CENTRALL will enhance NPS’s position as a research
institution and, particularly, as a leading institution for
acquisition research.
Do you have a research paper or lesson learned that you
would like to submit? Are you looking for information in the
acquisition field? Check out Acquisition CENTRALL at
www.acquisitioncentrall.army.mil.
Utilizing the capabilities and
modern technology associated
with the Internet, Acquisition
CENTRALL will be a
central repository of
information to facilitate learning
among members of the
acquisition community. It links
the knowledge resources of
the acquisition professionals
with the research resources of
those who study acquisition.
NPS Research page 20
October 2000